Ezekiel

I know it's super late, but let me tell you what God did.
A beautiful friend of mine, Susanna, sent me a text to read Ezekiel 36:8-11. Talk about random, right? Who reads Ezekiel? Well, obviously, God's got a word there, too. Check this out:

"You, mountains of Israel, will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near. Look! I am on your side; i will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown. I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will fill you with people and animal and they will increase and  be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

WOW!!! As I was reading it, God was connecting circles in my head. I started to write it down in my journal and God connected even more. This is such an incredible picture of so many aspects of our Father and who we are in Him!!

1. Sunday at church, my pastor, Josh, started a series on heaven and hell. He referenced Revelation 12:11 that says, "They conquored him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death," and said that satan doesn't have to destroy our lives - he simply has to distract us from our goal - from the glory and kingdom of God and His purpose in our lives. Not only that but Matthew 6:10 says "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." We've all read that before. It's not simply something we recite on occasion, it's praying that God's kingdom as He intended it be brought to this earth. The christian church typically teaches creation, fall, and redemption - God created you. Sin entered you and you became worthless. God redeemed you. They stop there. NOT TRUE - THERE IS MORE! Like Ezekiel explicitly says - God will rebuild these ruins. If that's not a call for restoration, I'm not sure there is one. The gospel is about restoration. Redemption isn't the finish line. It's more like you've finally made the team, now get out there and play. Not only will we, as individuals and as the bride of Christ, be restored, but we will be more perfect than we ever have been or thought we could be.
2. I love that the trees continue to bear fruit. Nature keeps going - trees continue their cycle, giving everything they have right now - in the fall - of every year for God's glory, even if He doesn't come and redeem them just yet. What a powerful word is that if spoken over our lives? - that we give all that we are for the glory of God, even if it means waiting for our restoration and waiting for the fulfillment of His promises. Even if it means going through some rough times over and over again. Even if it means living in cycles until we have the power in Him to break them.. He uses hard times to test us, yes, but also to mold us, shape us, and cleanse us in preparation for His will for us.
3. It seems that God is saying He is with us, the mountains, trees, and land given to Israel, even in the hard times - "it's okay because I'm using this, too, to prepare for what I have coming." WOW. Speaking to my siestas who've read SLI, and even those who haven't...WHAT SATAN WOULD USE FOR EVIL, GOD WILL USE FOR GOOD - our insecurities, while devastating, are not the end. God can, will, and DOES use those for good.
4. He is on our side - Romans 8:28. He has a plan.
5. We are His temple - He will fill us with His people. That's a picture of His promise in Genesis for fertility, yes, and also explains that awful monthly battle we women have to face, but also perfectly describes the church! Not only is He restoring these earthly bodies and making them more than perfect, but He's also restoring and perfecting the church - His bride - for the wedding that is coming.....under the chuppah - the covenant. WOW!!
6. We.will.know.Him.

WOW.

Your Faithful Love

Psalm 119:41 "Let Your Faithful Love come to me, LORD, Your salvation, as You promised."
Psalm 119:64 "LORD, the earth is filled with Your Faithful Love; teach me Your statutes."
Psalm 119:76 "May Your Faithful Love comfort me, as You promised Your servant."
Psalm 119:88 "Give me life in accordance with Your Faithful Love, and I will obey the decree You have spoken."
Psalm 119:124 "Deal with Your servant based on Your Faithful Love; teach me Your statutes."
Psalm 119:149 "In keeping with Your Faithful Love, hear my voice."
Psalm 119:159 "LORD, give me life, according to Your Faithful Love."
Psalm 36:7 "Your Faithful Love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."
Psalm 25:6-7 "Remember, LORD, Your compassion and Your Faithful Love, for they hvae existed from antiquity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or the acts of rebellion; in keeping with Your Faithful Love, remember me because of Your goodness, LORD."
Psalm 25:10 "All the LORD's ways show Faithful Love and truth to those who keep His covenant and decrees."
Psalm 147:11 "The LORD values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His Faithful Love."
Psalm 141:5 "Let the righteous one strike me -- it is an act of Faithful Love; let him rebuke me -- it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked."

Battlefield

At the battlefield
oh with bullets flying
fiery arrows
i'm the bullseye

we are the army of God
here we come yeah
we are the army of God
here we come, Lord, here we come

on our knees we march through the battlefield
to lose our life
but to find life in You
Awake you sleeper.
Arise from the dead.

because we are the army of God.
here we come.

Desiring Chick-fil-A more on Sunday than any other day of the week.

Desiring Chick-fil-A more on Sunday than any other day of the week.

an explosion of another kind

Speaking of Relay, I'm seriously about to just throw my hands up and walk away. I can't get any sort of input from anyone at all and I can't handle it. I have a ton of other things on my plate right now including a painting that is driving me up the wall insane and Bible study which is about eight shades more important. If I don't get some help soon or at least some input from SOMEwhere, I'm probably just going to explode. I don't mind doing it. I love it and I enjoy planning things, but I'm walking pretty blind right now. I know the overall goal. I know what has to be done, but it's the small stuff like planning meetings, sending emails, and getting input from others on this stuff that isn't happening. I can't do it all. I'm not that much of an overachiever and if my grades start dropping, something else is going to get dropped.

I'm just frustrated. I don't expect anyone to be available on the spot when I have a question or need input, but I expect for there to be some sort of input at regular intervals in this deal. We're all going through a lot, whether it's class and homework or LIFE in general. Let's not be ridiculous. If we don't work together, this is going to fall apart or be just as skeletal as it has been in the past. How about we grow up and be proactive?

Love explosion

Our ACS rep is wonderful. She is excited about what she's doing and really wanting to be involved and help so much.

Her mom isn't doing well. She's asked for help praying that her mom will be able to let go.

Can you guys help?

satan will call me on that later

The busier I am lately, the more I want to delve into the Word. When overwhelmed, it's easier to see how God comes through for you. I hate that we don't meditate on His word more often.

I'm also trying to memorize a few passages. Psalm 119 caught my attention the other day. I'm taking it a section at a time and not memorizing much, unfortunately, but I think this is where I'll stay for a while. It's just beautiful. I'm not sure the historical context it was written in, but it's speaking to my current whirlwind in big ways.
Verse 1 says "happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the law of the LORD!" - this reminds me so much of 2 Peter 3:14 which says to be spotless before God. That's been a big deal lately. I rarely get embarrassed, but I have caught myself trying to please people instead of God. I wonder about the reactions of those around me or those involved before I do something I feel is right because I fear the judgment of others. In truth, God's opinion is the only one that matters. Verse 2 goes on to say that those who seek Him with ALL their hearts are happy. When you attempt to please others, you are dividing your heart.